Job:- Author
Website:- https://www.amandajennings.co.uk
Twitter:- @MandaJennings
Introduction:-
Amanda Jennings is the author of 5 standalone novels. The most recent being The Haven. She is a regular guest on BBC Berkshire’s Book Club, and is a judge for the annual Henley Youth Festival writing competition.
Current book?
The Gone and The Forgotten by Clare Whitfield
Favourite book
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why?
I would invite Romeo and Juliet to dinner and beg them not to muck about with deadly poisons. This is a tragedy that might have been avoided if only they’d thought through a better plan. After coming for dinner I would urge them to pack a small bag and disappear together and live happily ever after away from their meddling families.
How do you relax?
I do a lot of walking with my dogs. I also look after ponies and chickens. I play tennis if I can. And get up into the mountains or to the sea for holidays. Getting outdoors and into nature is a natural valium.
What book do you wish you had written and why?
I would have loved to have written The Beach. It’s everything I would love to create. Page-turning, with strong characters, a vibrant and evocative setting, growing tension and darkness, moments of shock, and - oh - the way Alex Garland writes the beach and the sea and those scenes of communal bliss. I think it was quite influential for me when writing The Haven. A utopian idyll gone awry.
What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as an author?
“Dear Amanda, I know, it’s bonkers, but you’re going to actually get published. I know! Not only that but you’ll see your books translated into other languages and see them on supermarket shelves. There’ll be times when it feels bleak, a total waste of time, but soon the rejections will be a think of the past. Keep going!”
Why do you prefer to write standalone books as opposed to a series and would you consider writing a series.
My stories are centred around the personal journeys of my characters and are very much concerned with a path to some sort of resolution. Once the story has come to its end, there is no more drama there in my mind. Life returns from the extraordinary to some semblance of normality. It becomes time - as tough as it sometimes feels - to bid fond farewell to these people I know like family. Though I can clearly picture them existing beyond the final page, their lives into become mostly unremarkable. (Which is probably a great relief for them given the trauma I put them through…)
What are you looking forward to at Lyme Crime?
Getting back to live events following the pandemic and lockdowns feels like a real privilege. I can’t wait to be with other authors and readers, and come together to indulge our common love of books. And what joy to be beside the sea as well. Books, readers, and the sea. How perfect!
The Haven by Amanda Jennings (HarperCollins Publishers)
It was meant to be paradise...Winterfall Farm, spectacular and remote, stands over Bodmin Moor. Wanting an escape from the constraints of conventional life, Kit and Tara move to the isolated smallholding with their daughter, Skye, and a group of friends. Living off-grid and working the land, they soon begin to enjoy the fruits of their labour amid the breathtaking beauty and freedom of the moor. At first this new way of life seems too good to be true, but when their charismatic leader, Jeremy, returns from a mysterious trip to the city with Dani, a young runaway, fractures begin to appear. As winter approaches, and with it cold weather and dark nights, Jeremy's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Rules are imposed, the outside world is shunned, and when he brings a second girl back to the farm, tensions quickly reach breaking point with devastating consequences...
You can also find her on Instagram @amanda_jennings1 and on FaceBook.
Tickets can be bought here:- https://www.lymecrime.co.uk/tickets--contact.html
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